Named after the hop flower Humulus Lupulus, this India Pale Ale style beer has enormous amounts of hop bitterness, flavor and aroma. With a very complex malt bill, flavors seem to meld with the hops to balance this ale and provide a ridiculous urge to sample more.
140 IBU

Big hop flavor fights off the malts long enough to scar the tongue; the hops are forward and strong but not overwhelming. Then , the sweeter elements of the malts tease the palate. Finishes long and slow.

Mouthfeel is medium rich but short of big and buttery; nicely present without being aggressive. Well balanced. Michigan has many good brewers working throughout the state. A trip from brewery to brewery would make a nice future trip. (622 characters)

More User Reviews:

"A complex malt and hop theme park in your mouth" is printed on the label, so we come at this beer guessing that we are in store for a flavorful beer. The 76 IBUs can tell part of that story.

Fast foaming action with three fingers of rocky head, no problem with retention either as the carbonation is a bit lively and keeps the lace sticking after each sip. Slight haze on this orangey amber-colored brew, but a bit of haze is to be expected. Big pungent hop aroma of citric rind (which leans towards grapefruit), pine and evergreen and tobacco. All the way in the back is a layer of maltiness in the nose. Upfront crispness takes control of the palate as the onslaught of hoppiness begins. Bitterness is up there, no fooling around with those 76 IBUs. Sharpness to start then more of pungent citric rind and then herbal. Maltiness never really punches through hard but there are layers within that bring forth a toasted biscuit flavor. A tad dry with a long hop finish, perhaps a bit salty.

Hop damn it! This is a no holds barred American IPA. Without a doubt we did get our fix of hops. Forget the East Coast / West Coast hop battles, you better recognize the hoppiness in the Great Lakes region. (1,235 characters)

One of the first brews I ever had from Short's. Nice, golden color with a thin white head that leaves a decent amount of lacing on the way down. Putting your nose in the glass is like smelling a forest - lots of hops, resin, and some pine smells here, not too much citrus, but it is definitely there. The beer tastes just like it smells - full on hops and bitterness right from the get-go. Lots of floral flavors jump out, not much malt, but the bitterness is never "unbalanced". The citrus actually comes out quite a bit more on the palate than it does in the nose, making for a nice counter-point to the bitterness of the hops. Plenty of carbonation gives a nice mouthfeel and crispness, however, it's still pretty sticky on the palate in the finish.

Very good IPA with plenty of hoppy tones and flavors, sure to please any hop head. Although I feel there are many IPA's that are superior, I would definitely have this one again. Solid brew from Shorts. (956 characters)

A: Poured into a snifter, Huma has a lovely golden-amber hue. There is no head after a medium pour, which is weird, because I have had this many times before and I recall a usually buoyant and healthy froth on top of the beer. I won't mark it down for that, based on previous experience. Lacing is present, but not very sticky.

S: This is exactly what I would hope for from an American IPA. Big pine, floral, and citrus hops leap into my nose, supported by a strong pale/amber malt presence.

T: Yummy. An appropriate amount of hop bitterness endures throughout each sip and into the aftertaste, while a lovely grapefruit flavor is the dominant flavor. Some pine and resin taste is also present.

M: Medium bodied for an IPA with a coating quality in the beginning and middle of each sip, which is snatched away from the palate by the drying hop quality at the end.

D: I have always found this to be an immensely drinkable IPA. The balance between sweetness from the malt and citrus flavor and the bitter, acidic bite from the hops make me want to enjoy this beer time and time again. Salud, Short's! (1,140 characters)

It pours clear copper color. A fluffy eggshell white head is very long lasting and intricate lacing across the glass.

Aroma is a balance of slightly toffee malt and orange hoppiness. The hoppiness is pretty juicy and bright as well. Finish is slightly sweet.

The balance of the beer is tilted more towards the hops than in the aroma. Nice fairly bright orange with a long lasting resiny bitterness. The bitterness is kind of harsh though and unpleasant. I much prefer a smoother beer.

The bitterness effects the mouthfeel a great deal but besides that the carbonation is just fine.

Overall it's just a decent American IPA offering, nothing special and it's fairly forgettable. (737 characters)

Buddy gave me some of these on a camping trip in Michigan - thanks John!

A: Orange marmalade with a slight haze. Small off white dissipated almost immediately to a thin ring and was gone by a third of the glass.

S: Nice, fresh citrus hop. There is a touch of sweetness and breadiness from malt but bitterness shows through.

T: It starts with a refreshing citrus and moves swiftly into an aggressive piney hop bite. Some sweetness from caramel malt and fruitiness sneaks in but it is quickly dominated by the orange peel and piney aftertaste. The finish is dry - makes you want more.

M: Light side of medium body. Medium carbonation adds fuel to the bite on the palate.

D: This is a great IPA and I'd be happy to drink it at any time. If I am nit picking, I'd say that the pine dominance is not my favorite aspect of IPA's. Nice one Short's - I'd like to try more of your offerings. (886 characters)

Amber in color, perhaps leaning toward orange; head was about 2 fingers or so but dissipated relatively quickly to a thin layer of bubbles and eventually to a ring. Left pretty good lacing most the way down the glass.

Mmmm.... HOPS! Hops are obviously first and foremost on the nose. Unlike some IPAs, this actually has a little complexity in that there is some citrus and grapefruit, some grassy notes, and some eathiness in there as well. Nice.

The first pull floods the mouth with bittering hoppiness, and then the beer sort of finds a bit of balance (almost) as it rolls around the tongue. There is clearly a pretty strong malty backbone here but there is such an assortment of hop flavors going on that you almost have to look for it. The weight in the mouth is quite good and matches well with the moderate carbonation. At the swallow, the first part of the finish is the mellow hop bitterness but it fades to more a dry bitter linger.

Overall, a very good IPA! Gotta love the name and gotta love the brew. If you are into hops, you will dig this brew. (1,109 characters)

Great to see this bottled! Pours into my glass a somewhat hazy deep orange with a half inch of creamy white head on top that leaves sticky lacing on the side of the glass. So far so good. Aromas smack upfront with a mix of piney, herbal and citric hop tones. Smooth caramel malt backbone that is sort of fruity as well. Quite a collusion of hops in the glass.

First sip is a wash of hop oils rushing across the palate. Pine, citrus and resin rolls across the tongue along with a biting bitterness that lasts all the way through. The malt has some caramel and light toast and it barley holds up to the brash hops in this brew. Slightly fruity throughout, it rolls down with more green hop cone accents and another kick of bitterness on the back of the palate that lingers.

Mouthfeel is smooth and creamy with a good flow of carbonation. An easy drinking IPA...but you better love hops and bitterness before messing with this one! I can't really say it's balanced as the hops kick the malts ass here and the bitterness lingers on long after each sip. Quite tasty for a hophead and quite a bold IPA. I think it's a bit too bitter to session with. (1,145 characters)

This beer poured a dark orange/gold color with a short lived 1 inch head. The aroma consisted of citrus and hops. I really liked the taste of this beer. It has a very nice bitter taste that lingers. A great brew that I would love to get my hands on again. (298 characters)

I found the beer in a small store on a work trip to Empire MI. In true fashion I looked for the most local beer with the best label/name. Off course this was an easy choice, especially given the selection.

The beer pours a golden but mostly amber color, it is transparent and and the head forms immediately. As it dissipate the head clings the edge of the glass and remain.

The aroma is pungent and fresh, earthy and grassy hops fill my nose, at this point I am very happy with my choice.

The taste is very nice, very well rounded, or what I like to consider well rounded for an American IPA. The malts are sweet but not noticeable after the hops come in. The taste is caramel with some biscuit, but the pine and grass hop flavor takes over. The bitterness is prominent which may keep some from drinking another, but not me.

Overall a great beer and my first introduction to Shorts. As I was staying in town for 11 days I will search out more. (948 characters)

Full hop crunch in effect here. Grapefruit, piney resins and bitter fruity goodness. From Michigan, but tastes like its straight out of San Diego. More then worthy and quite enjoyable AIPA. (423 characters)